News Release

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Los Angeles: Los Angeles police patrol officers detained a 16-year-old boy from Peoria, Arizona, this morning in the skidrow area of downtown Los Angeles after the officers recognized the minor from a BOLO (be on the lookout) flyer that was shown in the patrol roll call briefings.

“This was police work at its best and most efficient this morning,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of Central Detective Division. “We received the BOLO last night and put the information out to all the officers, including the shift that came in this morning.”

One officer who recognized the face and description of the 16-year-old from the flyer. He remembered seeing the youth sleeping near Wilson and 7th Streets yesterday morning, January 18. The officer and his partner left their briefing and went directly to the location and found the boy sleeping.

The BOLO flyer named the subject and explained how he was suspected in robbing a Peoria medical marijuana clinic on January 17, 2012. The suspect in that case shot to death a man and a woman, then shot another man. He stole the dead man’s car and abandoned it in Phoenix. Local police believed the subject boarded a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles. The robbery/murder was covered in local media, but the suspect was not named publically.

“When the officers returned to the last place they had seen the kid, there he was, sleeping,” Lt. Vernon added. “They detained him at gunpoint, but he put up no resistance.” The officers found a semi-automatic handgun in a bag of belongings.

Detectives from Arizona were still working on obtaining an arrest warrant for the youth named in the BOLO, and two Peoria detectives are already driving to Los Angeles. In the meantime, LAPD detectives will book the minor for gun possession. He will be taken to Eastlake Juvenile Hall and eventually extradited to Arizona.

If anyone has any additional information regarding this crime contact Central Detectives at 213-972-1203. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.